Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard
Week 12: Chapter 11 — The Renovation of the Church
Read Chapter 11 of Renovation of the Heart. Key passages: Ephesians 4:11-16; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27.
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Personal transformation and communal transformation are inseparable — in this chapter Willard widens the lens from the individual to the church, asking what a genuinely transformed community of disciples would look like.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Willard argues that individual spiritual formation cannot be fully sustained in isolation — the church is the indispensable context for formation. At the same time, the church itself needs renovation. How do you hold both of those truths together without becoming either a lone-wolf Christian or a passive consumer waiting for your church to change?
2.He describes what he calls a 'renovated church' as one whose central aim is not attendance, programs, or even doctrine in the abstract, but the actual transformation of its members into Christlikeness. Does that describe any church you have ever been part of? What would have to change for your current church to move in that direction?
3.Willard draws on Ephesians 4:11-16 to argue that the pastoral gifts — apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor-teacher — are specifically given to 'equip the saints for the work of ministry' and to bring the body 'to mature manhood.' How well does your church's leadership structure reflect this equipping function?
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